Daily Devotion

 With Pastor Ancel Presnell

“WHY WE NEED A REALITY CHECK ON SIN”

 

Grace. It sounds so soft and sweet, but let me tell you, true grace is a punch to the gut. Why? Because before we can ever appreciate God’s free gift, we have to face the hard truth about ourselves. We can’t even begin to wrap our heads around God’s incredible grace until we realize just how desperate our situation is. You know that old saying, “You gotta get a person lost before you can get them saved”? It’s completely true. We are not just okay people who made a few mistakes; we’re in a terrible spot, heading toward an eternity of hell if grace doesn’t show up.

We tend to think we’re not so bad, maybe better than the next guy. But when we look at the Bible, it screams that we are all completely guilty. God doesn’t grade on a curve! You don’t get a pass, no matter how nice you are. Romans 1 is clear: God’s anger is revealed against all the ungodliness out there. Did you know that natural, unsaved people actually hate a Holy God? They hate a God who says, “You are wrong, and you will pay for your sin!” The thing is, we have no excuse. God’s power and divinity are obvious in the sunrise, the mountains, and everything around us. He requires perfect holiness, and He can’t just lower the bar for you or for me.

So, how can it be? That’s the huge question. We need to stop acting like our salvation is some badge we earned because we show up to church or read our Bible every day. That kind of thinking is dangerous. Isaiah compared all our best efforts, all our “righteousness,” to filthy rags—and that’s a polite way of putting it. We didn’t find God; He found us! Take a minute to seriously remember the nasty, broken-down mess your life was before He called you. You weren’t seeking Him; you were heading for the dump. Grace is confronting because it forces us to admit we were totally lost before the Savior showed up.

Ephesians 2:8, 9—” 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”